Local

Jury: Ford should not pay $25 million for crash that killed 19-year-old Florida woman

SANFORD, Fla. — A central Florida jury took four hours to decide that Ford Motor Co. should not have to pay $25 million to the family of a 19-year-old woman killed when her Ford Explorer went out of control and rolled over.

The six-person jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon after a nearly two-week trial.

Katherine "Katie" Parker was driving on Interstate 95 in June 2010, when her rear tire came apart, officials said.

She lost control of the vehicle, hit a guardrail and was ejected. Records show she wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

Her family sued Ford, alleging the company knew about design flaws that made the Explorer prone to rollovers.

Ford's attorneys blamed the crash on the tire and said Parker would have survived if she'd worn her seatbelt

0